TED Talk: Benjamin Zander
Link: https://www.ted.com/talks/benjamin_zander_on_music_and_passion
Blog Link: http://570studioblog.blogspot.com/
The TED Talk I chose was a great inspirational speaker named
Benjamin Zander. Benjamin’s goal during the TED talk was to expose people to
the world of Classical Music without them barely knowing it. Benjamin inspired
the audience by not only teaching them the realm of Classical music, but also
involving everyone in the audience by using humor, anecdotes, and speaks in a
language everyone can understand.
Benjamin built trust with his audience by not only
describing his leadership traits, but talks to them on the same level without
putting himself on a pedestal. The trust builds through the talk by Benjamin
teaching the audience along the way about many things involving music. He
teaches them about notes, cadences, and also breaks the stigma on tone
deafness!
He conveys his message to the audience telling a story about
a boy he presented the same presentation to. His brother was killed when they
were younger. The boy came up to him after the presentation and said that he
did not cry when his brother died, but when he listened to him play the piece
of music he finally cried for his brother. People gained much appreciation,
myself included, about classical music without even knowing it.
Lastly, the moment that grabbed me the most was his most
memorable quote from his TED talk. He speaks of two siblings on a train going
into Auschwitz. An older sister saw her younger brother missing his shoes,
yelling at him she says he never can keep himself kempt. After that moment was
the last moment she saw her brother. She then vowed that she would “Never say
anything that can’t stand as the last thing you’d ever say.” That quote
resonated with me not only in my professional, but personal life also. Think about
how many things we say to our significant others, parents, brothers, sisters,
and friends. If they were gone tomorrow, would you be happy with the last thing
you said to them?
